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Past and Present
Past and Present

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Past and Present is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/12 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?
To complain of this man or of that, of this thing or of that?
To fill the world and the street with lamentation, objurgation?
Not so at all; the reverse of so.
All moralists advise him not to complain of any person or of any thing, but of himself only.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Past and Present

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Past and Present is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/12 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?
Line 2
To complain of this man or of that, of this thing or of that?
/tuː kəmˈpleɪn ʌv ðɪs mæn ɔːr ʌv ðæt ʌv ðɪs θɪŋ ɔːr ʌv ðæt/
Line 3
To fill the world and the street with lamentation, objurgation?
Line 4
Not so at all; the reverse of so.
/nɑːt soʊ æt ɔːl ðə rɪˈvɜːrs ʌv soʊ/
Line 5
All moralists advise him not to complain of any person or of any thing, but of himself only.
/ɔːl ˈmɔːrəlɪsts ædˈvaɪz hɪm nɑːt tuː kəmˈpleɪn ʌv ˈeni ˈpɜːrsən ɔːr ʌv ˈeni θɪŋ bʌt ʌv hɪmˈself ˈoʊnli/

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

advise verb US /ædˈvaɪz/

give advice to

From this reading “All moralists advise him not to complain of any person or of any thing, but of himself only.”

Aristocracy noun US /ˌerəˈstɑːkrəsi/

a privileged class holding hereditary titles

From this reading “Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?”

complain verb US /kəmˈpleɪn/

express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness

From this reading “To complain of this man or of that, of this thing or of that?”

fill verb US /fɪl/

make full, also in a metaphorical sense

From this reading “To fill the world and the street with lamentation, objurgation?”

individual adjective US /ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒəwəl/

being or characteristic of a single thing or person

From this reading “Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?”

moralists noun US /ˈmɔːrəlɪsts/

plural of “moralist” — a philosopher who specializes in morals and moral problems

From this reading “All moralists advise him not to complain of any person or of any thing, but of himself only.”

reverse verb US /rɪˈvɜːrs/

change to the contrary

From this reading “Not so at all; the reverse of so.”

Talent noun US /ˈtælənt/

natural abilities or qualities

From this reading “Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?”

All words in this reading · 42

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adviseverbUS /ædˈvaɪz/

give advice to

From this reading All moralists advise him not to complain of any person or of any thing, but of himself only.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading To fill the world and the street with lamentation, objurgation?

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading All moralists advise him not to complain of any person or of any thing, but of himself only.

AristocracynounUS /ˌerəˈstɑːkrəsi/

a privileged class holding hereditary titles

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Not so at all; the reverse of so.

behoveverb

be appropriate or necessary

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading All moralists advise him not to complain of any person or of any thing, but of himself only.

complainverbUS /kəmˈpleɪn/

express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness

From this reading To complain of this man or of that, of this thing or of that?

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

fillverbUS /fɪl/

make full, also in a metaphorical sense

From this reading To fill the world and the street with lamentation, objurgation?

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading All moralists advise him not to complain of any person or of any thing, but of himself only.

individualadjectiveUS /ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒəwəl/

being or characteristic of a single thing or person

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

lamentationnoun

a cry of sorrow and grief

From this reading To fill the world and the street with lamentation, objurgation?

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading To complain of this man or of that, of this thing or of that?

miserableadjectiveUS /ˈmɪzərəbəl/

very unhappy; full of misery

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

moralistsnounUS /ˈmɔːrəlɪsts/

plural of “moralist” — a philosopher who specializes in morals and moral problems

From this reading All moralists advise him not to complain of any person or of any thing, but of himself only.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Not so at all; the reverse of so.

objurgationnoun

rebuking a person harshly

From this reading To fill the world and the street with lamentation, objurgation?

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading All moralists advise him not to complain of any person or of any thing, but of himself only.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading To complain of this man or of that, of this thing or of that?

personnounUS /ˈpɜːrsən/

a human being

From this reading All moralists advise him not to complain of any person or of any thing, but of himself only.

reverseverbUS /rɪˈvɜːrs/

change to the contrary

From this reading Not so at all; the reverse of so.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Not so at all; the reverse of so.

streetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading To fill the world and the street with lamentation, objurgation?

TalentnounUS /ˈtælənt/

natural abilities or qualities

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading To complain of this man or of that, of this thing or of that?

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading To fill the world and the street with lamentation, objurgation?

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading To complain of this man or of that, of this thing or of that?

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading To complain of this man or of that, of this thing or of that?

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Aristocracy of Talent When an individual is miserable, what does it most of all behove him to do?

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading To fill the world and the street with lamentation, objurgation?

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading To fill the world and the street with lamentation, objurgation?

Chapter 4 of Past and Present by Thomas Carlyle holds 63 sentences, grouped into 13 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 4 of Past and Present contain?

Chapter 4 holds 63 sentences of Past and Present, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of Past and Present by Thomas Carlyle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 63 sentences, grouped into 13 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 4 of Past and Present?

Work through the 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 13 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading Past and Present

Common questions about reading Past and Present by Thomas Carlyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Past and Present?

Yes. All 4084 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13534 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Past and Present is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #13534, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Past and Present take to read?

About 340 minutes of reading across 817 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Past and Present section by section

How to work through Past and Present section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Past and Present to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Past and Present

Words and structures a reader meets early in Past and Present, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Example
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Past and Present; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Other
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Past and Present; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fable
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Past and Present; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sphinx
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Past and Present; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.